BBC EastEnders' original Janine Butcher now after ditching fame for very different job

EastEnders viewers have been left fearing for Vinny Panesar after he helped his mum Suki leave her abusive husband Nish. During Thursday's (November 23) trip to Walford, Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) was left feeling stuck inside her own life and made a life-changing decision. She put her plans into place to flea the Square with her youngest son Vinny (Shiv Jalota) giving her money to help fund her exit.

Suki Panesar and Eve Unwin finally reunited in heartwarming scenes in EastEnders on Thursday, 23 November, leaving soap fans delighted. Having finally decided to leave her husband Nish, Suki made her way to Walford Station as she set off to stay with a friend in Glasgow. Eve managed to catch up with Suki just in time, after Vinny tipped her off about Suki's plan to leave.

EastEnders' star Jamie Borthwick, who plays Jay Brown on the soap, is set to join the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special 2023 alongside broadcaster Dan Snow and BBC Breakfast host Sally Nugent.The trio are the first celebs announced for the festive episode airing on Christmas Day, where they'll compete to be crowned the Christmas champion. The exciting news was shared on Wednesday's episode of the Strictly spin-off show It Takes Two, with more contestants to be revealed on Thursday November 23. Jamie was revealed as the third celebrity on It Takes Two, will be dancing with Nancy Xu.

Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) and Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) are in danger when Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) discovers they have been seeing each other behind his back in EastEnders spoilers. With Suki deciding not to leave Walford after all, she races back to her house where Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) is waiting for her. Priya reveals she knows the truth and demands a huge amount of money in exchange for her silence.

EastEnders fans have "figured out" the real identity of Eve's surprise love interest in a what could be ashocking plot twist. In Wednesday's episode (November 15), new character Tessa asked Eve headed out on a date after bumping into her at the local kebab shop. At first, Eve said no, but Tessa didn't give up and left her phone number hoping for a future romance, and after some encouragement from Martin, Eve decided to meet up with Tessa.

BBC EastEnders fans are buzzing with theories as they believe they've spotted a clue about the upcoming Christmas episodes.The festive season in Albert Square will see Denise (Diane Parish), Kathy (Gillian Taylforth), Linda (Kellie Bright), Sharon (Letitia Dean), Stacey (Lacey Turner) and Suki (Balvinder Sopal) dealing with a mysterious dead body, who is yet to be identified but is wearing amber cufflinks. Meanwhile, Sharon is seen in a blood-stained wedding dress.

EastEnders fans labelled Cindy Beale a "hypocrite" after she lashed out at Bobby, following the cafe fire which left her son Peter on a ventilator after he rushed in to save Bobby. Rocky Cotton had started the fire hoping to use the insurance money to pay off his gambling debts, but this didn't go quite to plan, with Bobby, Peter and Rocky himself ending up in hospital following the blaze.

EastEnders' Peter Beale star, Thomas Law, made a sensational return to the soap after 13 years, causing quite a stir among fans. But Thomas' link to the popular soaps runs a little deeper than just playing a member of the iconic Beale clan, as both his real-life mum and sister are part of the EastEnders crew.The character of Peter Beale, who first appeared in 1993 as the son of Ian and Cindy Beale, has been played by seven different actors, with Thomas taking over the role from 2006 to 2010, before reprising the role this year.

Danielle Harold, who played Lola Pearce-Brown on BBC's EastEnders, has a cheeky message for her former co-stars as she prepares to enter the jungle for ITV's I'm A Celebrity! Get Me Out Of Here. The award-winning actress, 31, known for her emotional exit from EastEnders after Lola's tragic brain tumour storyline, described joining I'm A Celeb as "the craziest thing ever". She added: "It's been a crazy, crazy year and so why not top it off with the craziest thing ever by doing this?!" She went on to say: "It's definitely a shock to the system and I am both excited and nervous.

EastEnders fans are convinced they've figured out a shocking character death on the BBC soap, but it's 'not' Bobby Beale who 'dies'. Kathy Beale's cafe went up in flames in dramatic scenes on Thursday evening's visit to Walford, with the out of control blaze putting several lives at risk. Peter Beale and Kathy's hubby Rocky Cotton dashed into the fiery building when they realised Bobby was stuck inside, but during their daring rescue, the roof caved in, injuring all three of them.

EastEnders fans have shared their worry for two characters after the BBC soap aired a devastating twist on Thursday night.

EastEnders' Karen Taylor will soon be saying goodbye to Walford for good, as recent scenes hint at a dramatic exit that could leave her family in pieces.Thursday night's episode suggested how she might leave the show as she and her son Keanu argued over the £50,000 ransom money they nicked from Phil Mitchell.The mother-son duo came up with the plot to kidnap Albie after Sharon refused to put Keanu's name on his birth certificate and she had then also planned to leave Walford with the tot. Karen was left livid at Sharon's continued refusal to let Keanu play a role in his son's life, leading to her and Keanu concocting a kidnapping plan.

EastEnders fans were left complaining over "shaky" camera work during Thursday night's episode.The dramatic episodes saw Kathy's cafe go up in flames, with Bobby, Peter, and Rocky all inside, and it was in these scenes, with Kathy stuck outside, that fans said looked more like a news report than EastEnders, with shake camera movements and zoom-ins on characters. And as the scenes aired, fans took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts, with one complaining: "the camera work on #Eastenders tonight seems a bit wobbly." "What in the BBC breaking news bulletin was this camera work #eastenders #kathy" added another.

EastEnders fans reckon they've figured out how Karen Taylor will leave Walford - and it's not due to the cafe fire. Later this week, Rocky Cotton plans to set the cafe ablaze for insurance money, as he looks to pay off his debt to loan shark Nish Panesar. Fans initially thought Karen, played by Lorraine Stanley, might perish in the fire when news broke of her departure from the BBC soap.

EastEnders fans say they have predicted a potential DNA twist that will reveal the real parents of Albie Watts, Sharon Watts' son, as a concerning health development unfolds. Upcoming show spoilers hint that hospital test results related to Albie will push for more genetic testing to be done in her family, as viewers suspect that Keanu Taylor might not be the biological father.

EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy has shared the latest details on her plans for a wedding with her fiancé Marc Humphreys, eight years after they first got engaged. The soap actress has explained the reasons for why the pair are still waiting to tie the knot, and suggested a day of low-key nuptials is likely on the cards. Natalie, 40, has been engaged to cameraman Marc since 2015, and the pair share daughter Joanie, seven.The actress is also a mum to daughter Eliza, 12, from a previous relationship.

Comedian Brian Conley has always made the nation chuckle, but what his EastEnders character Rocky Cotton has done is no laughing matter. Desperate to clear his huge gambling debt, Rocky set fire to his wife’s café hoping to claim on insurance. However, his plan backfired as the blaze had huge repercussions for the Beale family and this week Kathy (Gillian Taylforth) gets arrested for arson.

As Brian Conley prepares to leave his part as Rocky Cotton in EastEnders later this year, he confesses he’s devastated to be leaving his on-screen wife Gillian Taylforth (who plays Kathy Cotton) behind.The pair have played on-screen partners for the past two years and their characters tied the knot in July. More recently, the future of Rocky and Kathy’s marriage has been put in jeopardy thanks to Rocky’s gambling addiction.To get out of his predicament, Rocky set fire to the local café hoping to claim on the insurance. However the plan backfired and Kathy finds herself arrested for the crime.

Rocky Cotton’s (Brian Conley) insurance plan backfires when his wife, Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) is arrested for the arson in EastEnders spoilers. The Beales are distraught after the fire and Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) is quick to blame Kathy for the incident. George Knight (Colin Salmon) comforts Cindy in The Vic and encourages her to go back to the hospital where it appears Cindy has forgiven Kathy.

Dean Wicks isn't the only character to be making a dramatic return to Walford, with a Branning family reunion now on the cards for EastEnders. Lauren, played by Jacqueline Jossa, will soon be making her long-awaited return to Albert Square, and she won't be alone, with her cousin Penny also returning to the iconic square.